Decorative stone public collecting localities
Landscaping rock can be collected from “community pits” on U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public lands. Common-use areas/community pits are for noncommercial or small-scale collection and require a permit.
The rules and stipulations for collecting vary from region to region and pit to pit. For details on obtaining a permit, call the appropriate permitting office listed with each collecting location.
Fremont Indian State Park is named after a diverse group of people, the Fremont Indians, who lived in Utah from A.D. 400 to 1350. The park exists because of successful archaeological excavations in Clear Creek Canyon prior to construction of Interstate 70 between Richfield and Cove Fort, Utah. There are at least 10 Fremont sites within the park.
In 1983 local elementary school students told Brigham Young University archaeologists that there were pottery shards and collapsed dwelling depressions on top of Five Finger Ridge. At the time bulldozers were removing the surficial deposits of Five Finger Ridge for use as highway fill. The archaeologists quickly recovered hundreds of artifacts from Five Finger Ridge; these and other Fremont artifacts are housed and displayed in the Fremont Indian State Park museum that opened in 1987.
A new page has been added to the UGS web site.
Cretaceous Mancos Shale, Uinta Basin, Utah:
Resource Potential and Best Practices for an Emerging Shale-Gas Play
Funded by Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America
Cash for Appliances Utah announces last call for those looking to upgrade and save on new energy-efficient appliances
There’s still time for Utah residents to save on appliance upgrades, but rebates will only be available until funds run out
The clock is ticking on Utah’s highly successful Cash for Appliances program. With less than 24% of the program’s allocated funds still available, the time to act is now for those wishing to receive rebates when replacing their old appliances with ENERGY STAR® models.
So far, Cash for Appliances Utah has helped more than 9,000 residents upgrade to new energy-efficient appliances while offering nearly $2M in rebates. The program, however, can only continue until the funds are exhausted, and that mark is quickly approaching.
By upgrading from older, inefficient appliances to new ENERGY STAR® models, residents can lower their monthly energy bills while also reducing consumption. “These savings really add up over time,” says Chris Tallackson, program manager with the Utah State Energy Program.
The new shopping cart feature allows secure online purchasing of all maps, geologic publications, and recreational books. The easily searchable Web site includes the entire inventory of Utah’s topographic and geologic maps in an easy-to-use index system that shows the location of every map. For those who can’t stop by in person, you can now conveniently shop online.
There is still time to reserve a renewable energy rebate for residential or commercial solar thermal, residential photovoltaic or small commercial wind energy system.
The Utah Renewable Energy Rebate Program, managed by the Utah State Energy Program (USEP), can cover up to 25 percent of the cost of a professionally installed system, and may be used with other state, federal and utility incentives. “This incentive is an excellent opportunity for consumers interested in investing in renewable energy. Prices for installed systems are very reasonable by historic standards, further benefiting consumers,” said Chris Tallackson, USEP Incentives Coordinator.
Rebate reservations are processed on a first come, first served basis until funds are exhausted, so consumers should contact a Utah licensed professional installation contractor to begin the rebate reservation process.
Since launching on April 19, more than 275 applications have been approved for projects that will stimulate investment of $11 million within Utah. The projects will generate more than 1.8 million kilowatt hours of electricity. A typical household consumes 850 kilowatt hours per month.
For additional information and a rebate reservation form, visit the Renewable Energy Rebate Program or email renewablerebate@utah.gov.
RELATED LINKS
Renewable Energy Rebate Program
Utah State Energy Program
IN THE MEDIA
Nestled in the northwestern corner of Kane County is a geologically unique feature that receives relatively few visitors. Although most people in Utah have seen caves and waterfalls, it is peculiar for a waterfall to emerge from a cave system. Cascade Falls does just that, as an underground river emerges from a deep cave system and cascades down a steep cliff face.
The cave system is the product of sinkholes within the water-soluble rocks of the Claron Formation of the Markagunt Plateau. This incredible cascading waterfall first formed when an ancient lava flow dammed the drainage in a narrow valley, creating Navajo Lake.
Water from this lake found its way through the water-soluble marl (freshwater limestone) of the Claron Formation, eventually forming a cave system that extends a little over a mile from below the southeastern end of Navajo Lake to the Pink Cliffs escarpment at Cascade Falls.
KSL.com
Scientists are getting the first good look they’ve ever had at the Salt Lake City portion of the Wasatch Fault. What they’ve seen so far confirms a major earthquake is a constant threat.
In fact, geologists dug two big trenches in a vacant lot right next door to the University of Utah’s president’s mansion.
For the last two and a half weeks, they’ve had an unprecedented opportunity to look at the guts of the Wasatch Fault in this area. They’ve dug similar trenches elsewhere, but until now, the closest was in the Sandy-Draper area.
As expected, there’s evidence of at least six major earthquakes averaging about once every 1,300 years. The last one hit roughly 1,300 years ago.
IN THE MEDIA
by Mark Milligan
Recent photo of erosion-control terraces constructed by the CCC in the 1930s, above the Bonneville shoreline in North Salt Lake, Davis County.
Sometimes I get a public inquiry that leads to a “Glad You Asked” article, and sometimes I see something interesting in the field and wish I would get a question about it. This time it was a case of the latter.
A gentleman called and asked, “What are the lines up on the side of the mountain?” Along the Wasatch Front we have fault lines, shorelines, lines from rock layers (bedding planes), lines formed by volcanic dikes, and lines formed by other natural phenomena.
The Utah Geological Survey (UGS) is a division of the Utah Department of Natural Resources. Several specialized programs comprise the UGS: Data Management, Energy & Minerals, Geologic Hazards, Geologic Information & Outreach, Geologic Mapping, Groundwater & Wetlands, and Paleontology.